


a locket and a photo (we didn't mean for this to happen)

by Rasiaa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Makeup Sex, almost break up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 15:16:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13274169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasiaa/pseuds/Rasiaa
Summary: "I love you, you know?" he tried, and his eyes widened. He looked astounded."I thought you didn't."Sometimes damage happens without anyone knowing until it's undeniable anymore.





	a locket and a photo (we didn't mean for this to happen)

**Author's Note:**

> For isaacswolfsbane and the one-shot monthly exchange thing. Prompts: Albus/Scorpius, romance, angst, AU, You by Greta Isaac. I wrote this, not so much based off the lyrics, but more based on the background music, and the way it made me feel. I looked at the darkness of the video, the dirt and the low lights, and that's what I based their apartment off of. I suggest listening to the song while reading this.  
> http://listenonrepeat.com/?v=94R_hUnQZg0#Greta_Isaac_-_You

_What I would do to get under your skin._

The chains moved in the powerful winds, and he pulled his coat closer, the hood higher, and tasted the fur of the lining as it blew in and out of his face. He glanced to the side without moving his head too much, and the yanked his gaze back down to the cracked sidewalk, unwilling to listen to the thrum of the machines and the cranking of belts, never mind actually looking at them.

Walking.

It's the only thing that made any sense anymore.

The shrill ringing of his phone startled him, and he ducked into a nearby alleyway, pulling it free from the back pocket of his jeans. Teeth rattling in the cold, he looked blearily at the caller id and then declined the call. Heart racing, he moved back into the street and after a while of continuous movement, the chains became harder to hear, and he could breathe a sigh of relief. The phone buzzed again and again, but he ignored it.

He looked up, eyes searching for people, only to come up short. A few cars sped passed on the road, but that was all, as he stood there. He closed his eyes and swayed, hugging himself. He was sure that he made quite the pathetic picture.

Finally, with shaking hands, he pressed the button for the sidewalk.

It took a minute, but the green walk signal eventually lit up, and he walked with shaky steps across the dark tar of the road. Stumbling, he lurched when a particularly powerful gust of wind nearly blew him over. Regaining his bearings, he shook his head and tugged his jacket closer despite the fact that it wasn't working at all.

He glanced up, taking in the signs written in unfamiliar Chinese writing, the way the red lamps blew harshly in the wind. Paper rolled on the street, all colors and a mixture of Chinese and broken English. He kept walking. The lights reflected on the windows, creating colorful streaks, the only things unmoving in this harsh storm.

Finally, he came to a stop just outside Chinatown, pulling his keys out of his pocket with shaking hands. He slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open, trying to not lose it in the wind. He slammed it behind him, relishing the warmth that immediately assaulted his face and sank into his skin.

"Scorpius?"

He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, to find his boyfriend Albus staring at him warily from the doorway to the kitchen, a few yards away.

"I thought…" Albus trailed off, his befuddlement clear. He shook his head slightly and plastered a smile onto his face, waving a wooden spoon around and wiping his hand on the apron his was wearing. Cake batter slid off the spoon and hit the wooden floor, a stark white against the dark, dirty brown. "Come inside, love. I've got dinner in the oven, and then we can break open the wine I bought yesterday while you were at work, okay? How does that sound?"

Scorpius nodded, the image in front of him flickering slightly as he did so. Albus' expression didn't waver, but it also didn't reach his eyes. "I'll be in there in a minute," he assured his lover. "I'll just hang my coat up and take off my shoes."

"Alright, love," Albus said, and turned, disappearing into the kitchen again. Scorpius released a heavy breath and turned sharply to the right, heading up the creaky, old stairs. He eyed the hole in the sixth one, resigned, and continued on, looking up to meet the eyes of Albus, framed by dark, fluffy hair, standing in front of an old swing set, while Scorpius sat on the swing next to him. They were both smiling in the photo, the light of the sun straining their eyes and making their faces scrunched up. He smiled weakly back at the young children and turned to the left, heading into the bedroom.

Bare walls and a bed without even a quilt to cover the sheets made him wonder when everything had gone so wrong.

Toeing off his shoes, he shed his coat and tossed it in the general direction of the chair in the corner, and stopped in front of his bedside table. He opened the drawer and dumped the contents onto the bed, uncaring. He lifted the false bottom and pulled the picture out.

This had been taken two years ago on their seventh anniversary. Sparklers in hand, the night sky black and blue behind them, long coats buttoned up for warmth, they were smiling, laughing, and he could still remember how they had felt. They had had their family over, and Harry had cooked on a grill, and the whole atmosphere had been loving and hopeful.

He could barely remember, however, what it had been like to have Albus look at him like he mattered.

"Dinner!"

He put the picture away, shoved the irrelevant things back in the drawer, and went downstairs.

Albus was waiting by the table, eyes distant and dark. He looked up when he heard Scorpius, and smiled.

Scorpius smiled back automatically, eyeing the low cut tee shirt, the way his collarbones were prominent in the low lighting. He met Albus' eyes and his smile dimmed.

"I love you, you know?" he tried, and Albus' eyes widened. He looked astounded.

Wordlessly, Scorpius sat down and began serving the roast beef that Albus had cooked, with green beans and rice. It wasn't anything special, really, since all of the meats at the nearby butcher's had been on sale recently, and they had enough rice in the pantry to last them years. He served Albus first, then himself, and purposefully didn't look at the other man until cool, thin fingers reached across the table and held his hand. He looked up.

Albus' smile was shaky, sad. His soft hair, normally so fluffy, was damp with sweat, and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of the many sleepless nights Scorpius knew all about. The wrinkles on his face were faint, but after twenty seven years of life, he wasn't surprised to see them there.

"I thought you didn't," Albus murmured into the silence, and Scorpius felt his heart break.

He dropped his fork and took Albus' other hand, pulling them both to his lips to kiss his knuckles. "I always have. I always will, Allie."

Albus pulled his hands back and he tried valiantly to pretend it didn't hurt when Albus just picked up the fork and began to eat, saying nothing more.

Scorpius reached into his pocket and laid a box on the table. Albus looked at it, then at him, a question on his lips. He cut him off before he could ask, and said, "I made that for you."

The fork clinked on the ceramic plate as Albus put it down. He reached for the box, hesitated as his fingers brushed against it, and then swiped it up. He opened it.

Scorpius leaned back.

Albus pulled the locket out of the box slowly, setting the container on the table once more. He fingered the chain as he stared at the design imprinted into the fine silver. It wasn't easy to make, for all that the design was relatively simple, just a few swirls. He used the nail of his thumb to open the locket, and a tear fell from his eye. He didn't seem to notice.

"Like I said," Scorpius said, standing. Albus looked up sharply, looking like he was barely holding himself together. "I love you. Always have. Always will."

He left.

They didn't have a television, but they did have a computer. Scorpius swung the door open to the little study they had just off the kitchen, and he shut the door behind him.

He turned the thing on. He waited. And when the lock screen came up, he felt that oh so familiar melancholy settle over him again. Once more, he was met with a photo of him and Albus, this time in their graduation robes, their backs to the school and their shoes off. He typed in his password and ignored the background photo of he and Albus at his sister's wedding, pulling up the internet and wasting the next hour or so playing solitaire.

The door swung open behind him, and he didn't turn. Albus came up and stood behind him. He jumped when Albus hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Scorpius' shoulder. Albus nuzzled the side of his face with his nose, and Scorpius finally gave in, leaning back into the contact. Albus hummed a little and pulled away, turning the chair. When he climbed onto Scorpius' lap, it wasn't a surprise. This routine had been familiar and frequent once upon a time. Albus rested his head on Scorpius' collarbone and said nothing, but Scorpius noted with some surprise that the locket was around his neck.

"I called you," Albus said weakly, after some amount of time had passed.

Scorpius rested his cheek on the soft black hair and sighed. "I know."

"Why didn't you answer?"

He shook his head and took a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of vanilla on his boyfriend. "I don't know."

Albus let it go. He curled tighter and after another few moments, "I have cake," he offered.

Neither of them made any move to get up.

"Can I fight for you?" Scorpius asked eventually.

Albus looked up. His eyes searched Scorpius' gray ones, and then he nodded. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth," Albus said. "I know it's been awful lately."

"What even went wrong?" he murmured, and Albus' eyes filled with tears.

"I think… that when we had to do that long distance thing for a while… it just…" Albus lost his words and Scorpius didn't blame him. He just pulled him closer and Albus took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I won't go away again," Scorpius said. "Not if a year of not talking and sleepless nights and the thought of losing you is the price. No matter the money that I make."

Albus nodded. Silence overtook them again.

"Do you want the wine?" Albus questioned quietly.

"No," Scorpius said. "I want to stay right here."

Albus huffed a laugh. "I don't," he said. "Carry me to bed?"

Scorpius ducked his head and nudged at Albus' cheek, making him look up. He caught Albus' mouth in a kiss, slow and lazy, the first one they'd really had in a while.

As he stood, they didn't break it, and Scorpius navigated the small apartment easily with Albus in his arms. He kicked the bedroom door open and laid Albus on the bed, crawling in next to him. They didn't bother with the sheets.

Scorpius pulled at the knot of the apron, feeling it unravel and he twirled his fingers through the strings to make them separate completely as he bit gently on Albus' bottom lip. They pulled apart to get the apron off, and then they were together again, Albus' fingers in his hair and Scorpius' hands, cold on Albus' sides as he began to pull the shirt off.

Albus moved willingly, though he was still clinging to Scorpius with a newfound desperation. The shirt was discarded and Albus used the moment to yank at Scorpius' as well, nearly ripping it off in his haste. He laughed lightly and shrugged out of it, kissing Albus again, digging his fingers into the place between his ribs and his hips. Albus was feverish as he gasped and pulled away, fingers shaking as he tried to pry Scorpius' belt open.

"Love, hold on," Scorpius whispered, kissing Albus' forehead and both his cheeks. The belt came undone and Scorpius pulled back more to get the jeans off. Albus pulled his off while Scorpius was finishing undressing, and then he laid back, hands above his head and chest moving rapidly with each breath. Scorpius straddled his legs and leaned down to nip at his boyfriend's throat, biting harshly and licking at the wounds, hoping they'll bruise. He made similar marks all the way down Albus' chest, paying very little attention to his nipples for the express purpose of tending them later. He bit at Albus' navel, and Albus arched underneath him, hands tangling into Scorpius' blond hair.

"Been - ah - too long, Scorpius..." Albus said, breathing harshly.

"Mhm," Scorpius agreed, "You're so responsive."

Albus brought his knee up harshly into Scorpius' thigh as a punishment, and Scorpius laughed, moving upward again to pepper kisses all over his face. Albus straight up _squealed_ , which Scorpius would tease him about later, when they were on more equal footing. For now, however, he pressed another kiss to Albus' mouth while his other hand reached for the drawer in the bedside table. He yanked it open and fumbled around blindly. Finding the lube took far too much time, but when he did find it he dropped it on the bed and broke the kiss, getting off of Albus' thighs. Albus took his cue and brought his knees up as his ankles spread apart, and Scorpius smiled, laughing again. "You're a gift, Allie," he said fondly.

"Yeah, whatever. Fuck me," Albus said, though Scorpius was pleased to see the faint redness to his cheeks. 

"Bossy as ever," Scorpius said, grinning as he ducked his head and snagged the bottle. Albus smacked him and Scorpius couldn't stop himself from laughing again, heart lighter than it had been in months.

"Good god, Scorpius, sex isn't supposed to be _funny_!" Albus said, exasperated.

Scorpius ignored him and popped the lid of the bottle, squeezing some onto his fingers. He waited for a moment before he reached for Albus' entrance, gently pressing in with one finger. Albus hissed, but didn't tell him to stop, so Scorpius didn't. He did lean down to nip and bite at Albus' inner thighs, trying to distract his boyfriend from the discomfort. "Okay, com'on," Albus said a minute later, and Scorpius added another finger.

Albus was so tight, so it took a while, a lot of maneuvering before Scorpius could add the third. They'd resumed kissing in that time, with Albus holding tightly to Scorpius' shoulders and Scorpius' free hand holding his own weight on the bed. Albus lost his patience fairly quickly after the third finger. "Fuck me now," Albus said, breaking the kiss, and rocked his hips downward onto Scorpius' fingers, causing Scorpius' heart to jump a bit. He felt the heat in his cheeks as he removed his fingers, wrist aching, to rest it on Albus' knee. Albus spread his legs farther apart and allowed Scorpius closer, visibly grinding his teeth at the first push of Scorpius' cock at his entrance. "Com'on," he said again, and Scorpius ignored this as well, taking his cues instead from the way the tension bled from Albus' shoulders as he eased farther in.

They rocked together slowly, Albus sighing in pleasure. "I said fuck me," he said after a second, causing Scorpius to raise his eyebrows.

"Is that not what I'm doing?" he asked, pulling out slowly and moving back in just as slowly. Albus scowled.

"We can save the sappy sex for later. I've been celibate for nearly a year, so _fuck me_."

Scorpius laughed, and Albus hit him, so Scorpius spread Albus' legs even farther apart, beginning to move faster. The bed began to protest as Albus met him halfway, screeching a bit. Scorpius was panting, shaking his head as sweat began to fall into his eyes, and then he leaned down and promptly bit Albus' left nipple, causing Albus to scream. He dug his nails into Scorpius' shoulder blades. Scorpius kept biting lightly, moving his hips with Albus, and then he switched to the other nipple and paid it the same attention.

God, he hadn't felt so good in a long time.

With that thought, he pulled away and groaned as his pace stuttered, his vision blacking out as his orgasm overtook him. Albus kept moving, leaning up to kiss him thoroughly before he reached his climax as well. They remained in that position for barely a few seconds that felt like hours before Scorpius pulled out and rolled to the side, back hitting the mattress. He stared at the ceiling as Albus shifted next to him, curling into Scorpius's side. Scorpius pressed a kiss to Albus' sweaty hair, closing his eyes. "Love you," he mumbled sleepily, and Albus hummed.

"I love you, too," Albus whispered, and Scorpius barely registered it as he drifted off, holding tightly to Albus. The fan above them made a slight noise that was quickly lulling him to sleep.


End file.
